Merging
by ChalakChalak
Summary: A mature scene between Ashitaka and San. Takes place between chapter 10 and 11 in the story Sympatric.


Takes place between chapters ten and eleven of Sympatric.

Have fun, I sure did...

* * *

San woke up early the next morning, too early for her liking and way too early for the pain that shot through her body. She was sore in places she didn't even know existed but it was not her injuries that pained her. She could deal with that kind of pain. This was different. A kind of exhaustion settled over her body, draining her of the little energy she had and making her feel weak. She turned to look to her side and was not surprised to find Ashitaka missing. Her brothers stirred awake, stretching and yawning loudly. Once they greeted each other, they informed her that they would go for a swim and then hunt, their daily routine in other words. San expressed her disappointment in not being able to join them but bid them a good hunt nonetheless. Once they were gone, San attempted to sit up. Although she succeeded, she took an awful long time to do so. She hated being so weak and so she gritted her teeth and attempted to walk out of the cave normally. Much to her surprise, she found Ashitaka at the bottom of the cave, half hidden by the big shadow the outside stone of the cave made. He was talking softly to Yakuul, who seemed to be listening intently or at least it seemed so to San. Being his most loyal and trusted friend, Yakuul took it up to himself to listen to his friend's worries and troubles and though he could offer no advice, the fact that Ashitaka had someone to talk to, without any worries that his response might be ignorant, was priceless.

She stood there for some time though she was sure he knew she was there. Still, he finished his talk with Yakuul before turning around to face her. His face showed signs of uneasy sleep, tiredness that had nothing to do with the small amount of rest he had last night, and his eyes lost that sparkle they usually contained. He climbed the rock, making his way to her slowly but San waited patiently. She could feel what he was about to say before he said it. It was written all over his face, and his aura gave it off, hanging around him like rotting flesh. He reached her at last, his hand going straight to her hair, his fist tightening around her hair to bring her closer. His other hand went to caress the scar the Skin Hunter had left her with, a dark scar that contrasted with her fair skin. His eyes left her scar and went to her mouth which he proceeded to kiss. They stood like this for some time, not really kissing but their lips were touching gently, breathing each other's essence.

"I need to leave," he said quietly even though the quiet that had surrounded them last night was long gone, "I simply can't stay a moment longer."

"I understand," said San just as quietly as he had spoken, wondering why they spoke this way when the birds were chirping up a storm, obviously not giving a damn to the gentle scene happening between the two humans.

"I knew you would," said Ashitaka, a small smile gracing his lips but disappeared as quickly as it came.

"Where will you go?" she mumbled against his lips.

"I don't know yet but I'll manage,"

San nodded, trying to get closer to him still. She buried her face in his shoulder blades and felt his strong arms surround her being.

"When will you leave?" she asked softly, against his shirt, rubbing her face against the fabric.

"As soon as possible," he responded from somewhere in her hair, "Probably tomorrow morning. That'll give me time to pack and take care of a few things."

She nodded. Her broken arm prevented her from hugging him as tightly as she wanted to but she managed. It would be enough—for now.

He took her by the shoulder blades, pulling away from her to look straight into her eyes. They were serious as he looked at her, full of expectation but not from San, from himself.

"I will come back, San. Not for Iron Town, for you."

San smiled but shook her head sorrowfully. Her smile vanished when she spoke.

"It is not fair of me to ask you to come back to a place you are not comfortable in anymore. I cannot leave the forest because I have a responsibility. You do not."

"You are my responsibility," he said stubbornly, "from the moment I fell in love with you, you have been my responsibility."

San laughed for real this time, the sound was oddly strange to both of them so she stopped quickly though Ashitaka wished she hadn't.

"I'm happy to know I am a responsibility to you," she said sarcastically though there was no edge to her voice to indicate anything else but amusement.

"You understand what I meant, though," he said grudgingly, bumping his forehead with hers. She nodded but sighed once more.

"Do you really think you'd be happy coming back and facing the humans just because of me? Will you not be resentful?"

Ashitaka thought about it for a second, closing his eyes as if to shut out the rest of the world.

"I do not feel aversion toward the townspeople, just one in particular," he opened his eyes to look at her confidently, "and I doubt she would ever want anything with me ever again."

San chuckled. She shrugged after a while, her pondering coming to a stop.

"It is your decision in the end,"

He digested this comment then nodded.

"It is," he sighed but changed the topic, not wanting to think about it just yet. He would meet it when it came.

"I am going to my home for the moment, just to pack things up," he said in a business-like tone, "I'll be back by sun set, yes?"

She nodded at him, giving him a small peck on his lips. He disentangled himself from her embrace, much to his dislike, but he would have to at some time. Giving her a final kiss, he turned and left for his home, leaving a thoughtful San behind.

* * *

Night was about to fall. It would be like every other night to the residents of the forest but not to San. San made her way through the darkened woods, moving slowly but proudly. She was managing to walk without help and though it took her more time then usual, it encouraged her after not being able to walk for so long. She walked with purpose, one goal in her mind.

Her forest would always come first for her, it was her home. Yet, Ashitaka proved to be a worthy opponent in the battle for first place in her mind. She had already informed her brothers of her visit. Their expressions were most serious when she announced she would not be returning home that night. They gave her dubious looks but they did not oppose her.

"Just be careful," was all they said.

She nodded but she had nothing to be afraid of. This was quite contradicting to her current feelings, though. Her hands felt clammy, she was nervous yet excited at the same time. The intense feelings sent pleasant shivers up her spine, made her hands clasp and unclasp nervously, and her concentration went flying out the window every time she thought about what she hoped would happen tonight. She reached the end of her forest and with a deep breath, she stepped out. Walking slowly, she went up to his front door. She took another calming breath before entering into his den without knocking.

He turned in surprise, sword ready in hand as she entered. He gave a relieved sigh when he saw who it was.

"I guess you don't believe in knocking?"

San cocked her head in confusion.

"Nothing–" he said dismissively, walking up to her with a surprised look in his eyes.

"To what do I own this visit?"

San wrapped her arms around him, smiling. She shrugged.

"Surprised?"

He nodded, giving her a peck on her lips.

"You have everything you need?" she asked, glancing at a table on the far end of the room. His den had only two rooms, the kitchen and his bedroom. The kitchen was the first room you set foot in and it was bigger than the other room, due to the fact that the dining room was also contained in the kitchen. His room was on the other side of the wall, a nice spacious room with a few necessities. Ashitaka did not clutter his home with unnecessary things but he did have a few knick-knacks he kept for sentimental reasons.

The house did not look as if its owner would be leaving. In fact, Ashitaka had but one bag of basic necessities and another full of food.

"I do," he responded, looking around as well.

"Did you settle whatever it is you had to settle?" she asked quietly, not wanting to disturb the intimate mood they had.

"I did," he said just as quietly, "They understand why I am leaving. In fact, none of them blame me for being so harsh with Eboshi."

He said this with a strange curiosity, as if he couldn't quite understand why they hadn't stoned him to death for attacking their mistress. San could.

"Well, It's not like the witch didn't deserve it--"

"Let's not talk about this---" interrupted Ashitaka, shaking his head slightly, adding with a raised eyebrow,

"I thought I was going to come visit you tonight?"

"Change of plans," she smiled sweetly, a smile he had not seen in a long time. She caught his lips in her own, caressing him with utmost passion, enough to leave him breathless---and make him forget everyting. At least for tonight.

She began to push off his shirt, longingly tracing his jaw with her lips, her good hand nimbly working to get rid of the annoying fabric between them. She was surprised when he took her hands, stopping her halfway through. Before he could say anything, she spoke.

"I do not wish to change your mind," she explained quietly, her voice affected by what was transpiring, "I merely wish to show you how I feel. If you are going to be gone for long, at least have something to remember me by."

Ashitaka wanted to think about this, analyze what this meant to both of them but another part of him had taken over, erasing all forms of coherent thinking from his mind. This was a far more pressing force than anything he had ever faced before. It demanded attention he did not know he needed. But San seemed to know exactly what parts of him needed attention. Her soft lips traced over his jaw, down his neck, running her tongue over his Adam's apple and giggled when it jerked as he swallowed. His own body seemed to be working on auto pilot. His own lips ran down her soft skin, down the sensitive areas on her neck that raised goose bumps on her skin and made her think of spicy scenarios. She managed to push away his shirt, leaving him with his arm coverings only. Her fingers tangled themselves through his hair, directing him further down her chest. His lips happily devoured her, pushing her body against the nearest wall, the wall connecting his room with the kitchen. She moaned as she felt his weight on her, her breath hitched with the little space between them. She felt his need for her, matching her own in strength and ferocity. The arm coverings fell to the ground easily and San easily ran her hands on his skin, feeling his stomach muscles contract under her touch as she ran her fingers up from his stomach to his chest, shoulders, and arms. He tried very hard not to exert too much on her, for she was still injured and if they wished to do anything that night, he would have to be gentle and very careful with the wounds she had. Still, San cared very little about the couple of injuries she had. In fact, she sensed his hesitation which only made her want to get closer to him, throwing her good leg around his waist. Mostly on instinct, Ashitaka grabbed her quickly before she could put pressure on her injured leg. He gave her a disapproving glare but it disappeared quickly when she smiled innocently at him.

He took her to the bedroom, letting them down gently on his futon. San pushed him to a sitting position, kneeling on top of him and happily cradling his waist between her legs. Her injured leg stung a bit but she bit back the pain. Ashitaka was quite taller than she was so it gave her a great delight to be able to look down on him, if only for the moment. She smiled as his caresses became more adventurous, his lips explored uncharted territory, and her kimono quietly fell to the floor. She shivered, both from nervousness and from the drat she felt on sensitive parts of her body. Ashitaka took the animal covering from somewhere on his side and draped it over her shoulders, holding her closer to him, amazed at how perfectly she fit against him, how much heat she gave off, how incredible she smelled. She arched her back, giving him access to everything he wanted. She bit her lip in pleasure as new feelings burst through her, his mouth and tongue doing unbelievable things to her chest, and making her writhe on top of him which only aroused him more. His hands pulled her back into him, rubbing his forehead against her neck, his breath sending tickles down her skin. She pushed him back on the futon, carefully climbing on top of him. He helped her remove the rest of his clothes, letting her have her way with him.

As a wolf, she was naturally curious and the only way to satisfy curiosity was to see for herself what were the things that amazed her most. San spent as much time as she could exploring his body, tasting, licking, biting, trying to comprehend how such a species could be so erotic. Once she made her way up to his lips again, Ashitaka pushed her down on the futon, planning to do some exploring himself. He helped her out of her stockings, kissing her bare thighs and making his way upward, leaving a trail of wet kisses on the way. He returned face-level with her, kissing her with a soft kind of passion. They took their time touching every part of each other, time (for once) being on their side.

Yet, the more they touched, the more uneasy he felt. He felt that familiar pull from inside his stomach, the one he felt when he lost control.

And losing control was not something he needed at the moment.

He felt her uninjured leg rub against his rib cage, against every single one of them, coaxing him down on top her. Still, the feeling remained but he quickly realized that it was not the same feeling he felt with Eboshi. This was something else, something unthreatening. It grew in the pit of his stomach and traveled to the farthest points of his body, the need intensifying greatly. This was the feeling that San and, only San, brought out in him. It was unthreatening but powerful nonetheless. It was still an animal within him, full of passion and need. It was selfish in the way that only love could understand and it devoured him.

He ran his hands up her arms, to her hand, holding them above her head, interlacing his fingers with hers. His right hand traced his way back down, to her leg and held her up. He gave her a pointed look to which she nodded, a smile spreading across her lips.

At last, there was nothing between them, no barrier that could separate them and they became one.

The evening was cold, the clouds gray and gathering for a storm. The night was lit by lighting and the silence punctured by thunder but the rain never came.

The small, plain home was filled with the sound of two bodies meeting as one, with the breathless moans and whispers of sweet nothings. The night was still young and the two lovers would make sure they took as long as they needed to imprint themselves in each other. The thunder and lighting seemed parallel to their actions, steadily becoming louder, the lighting striking with a force unseen before.

San ran her hands down his back, a thin layer of sweat had settled there though the night was anything but warm. Her nails ran down his spine, making him shiver with pleasure. A bolt of lighting lighted their features, the thunder rumbled within their chests. Still, the rain refused to come. The two lovers continued their primitive ritual, their rhythm becoming more and more passionate, the beast took over them and with a soft moan, San nestled her face on the crook of his neck, biting down a soft part of his skin as waves of pleasure spread throughout her body, taking over her completely. She felt Ashitaka tense on top of her as well and he joined her in her pleasure, whispering her name like a prayer, so soft that it floated in the air around them.

The storm continued to roar outside, the thunder and lighting furiously trying to start the rain but the rain heedlessly denied them.

The two humans remained in each other's embrace for some time but they were no longer just two humans. They had become something else, something completely different than what they had been before, a hybrid of two worlds that had separated them so many times and would continue to in the future. But for tonight, they existed.

For tonight, they just were...


End file.
